04 Jan 4 Ways to Get Your Website ADA Compliant in the New Year

As the new year begins, now is the perfect time to ensure your website complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). With the right tools and resources, it’s never been easier to make your website accessible. Keep reading to learn 4 ways to achieve ADA compliance and start the year off right!  

Use Alt Tags on Images

  When making your website ADA-compliant, be sure to remember the image requirements. Adding alt tags to images on your website can make a huge difference for people with disabilities using assistive technology.   When adding alt tags, always include a brief description of the image. Also, avoid using words like “image of” or “picture of” as it won’t add additional value.   It’s also important to note that alt tags aren’t a replacement for quality descriptions or other content related to the image. The goal is to create a website that is both fully accessible and useful for everyone who visits it.   With a little bit of time and effort, you can easily add alt tags to all the images on your website, making accessibility possible.    

Optimize Video Transcripts

  Video content is increasingly popular online, but it can often be inaccessible to people with disabilities. To ensure that your videos are accessible, create transcripts that include captions, audio descriptions, and other ADA-required features.   Try these tips:  

• Add captions to all videos. Captions provide the same information as the audio in your video, making it easier for people with hearing impairments to follow along.
• Include audio descriptions. Audio descriptions provide extra details about what’s happening on screen for visually impaired people.
• Use the right formatting. Make sure that your transcripts are properly formatted with bolded text for captions and italicized text for audio descriptions.
• Test your transcripts regularly. Check that the transcript matches the video accurately and update if necessary.

 

Simplify Navigation

  Simplifying navigation on your site increases the ability for everyone to have greater access to your services.  

• Create a concise navigation menu. Make sure your menu is intuitive and easy to understand.
• Design for keyboard accessibility. Many people with disabilities rely on keyboard shortcuts to navigate around a web page. This means that all clickable elements must be easily navigable using the Tab and Enter keys.
• Use high-contrast colors and large fonts. High-contrast colors and large font sizes will help people with vision impairments easily read and navigate your website.

 

Test Your Site Regularly

  Staying ADA-compliant is an ongoing effort, so it’s important to ensure that your website remains accessible to everyone. Testing your site regularly is the best way to ensure that all users can access your content. While automated testing tools are useful, it’s important to test your site manually on different browsers and devices to ensure that all features are working properly. And of course, always stay up to date on the ADA guidelines throughout the year.   By following these tips, you can ensure that your website remains compliant as the new year rolls in. Doing so will keep your website accessible to everyone, regardless of their physical abilities. Still overwhelmed? Social Spice Media is the leader in ADA Web compliance and can help you get updated today. Contact us at 805-482-8312 to get started today!